After two years since the declaration of war against al-Qaeda by President George W. Bush, the latest terrorist attacks indicate that al-Qaeda is alive and well. Not only has al-Qaeda attacked the Western world, but now it is also attacking Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, site of Islam's sacred Mecca and Medina. Saudis have experienced two suicide attacks in less than six months, thus the Saudi Osama Bin Laden's war against the West, now marks an escalation against the ruling princes of Saudi Arabia.
Surprise! Even the Arab press shows disgust against these terrorist attacks, which are perpetrated by the same terrorists who have been attacking Israel and the West. The only difference is that an "untouchable" Arab country has been attacked, while, until now, it was okay to attack Israel or the U.S. The challenge is whether Saudis will really strike with an "iron fist" against the Islamic terrorists, who killed at least 18 people in Riyadh and injured over 120 on November 8 in the al-Muhaya housing complex.
Has Bin Laden hijacked Islam? The surprise factor is not that al-Qaeda attacked Saudi Arabia, but how long Bin Laden took to indeed put his words in action. Why attack Saudi Arabia? Simply, because Saudis have been playing a double role.
First, saying they were against terror, while they funded and supported terrorism in the disputed lands of Gaza, Judea and Samaria. Furthermore, many analysts believe that the Saudis negotiated with al-Qaeda to prevent attacks on Saudi soil. Suspiciously, it was until almost two years after September 11 that al-Qaeda attacked the Saudi land, on May 12. The logical explanation is that Bin Laden is indeed now ready to overthrow the royal Saudi regime, which he considers illegitimate.
Second, Saudis say they have been supporting the U.S., while the majority rejoiced when the Twin Towers collapsed. Moreover, hatred against the U.S. is still promoted in schools and society. Yet, the Saudis continued to call themselves friends of U.S. and Bin Laden has openly criticized the Saudi government for being "too pro-American." In other words, Saudis have been playing a double game to remain in power. This is the key issue to understand why Saudi Arabia has become a target of al-Qaeda.
The fact is that Saudis have been sleeping with the enemy within. Suddenly, they are discovering more and more that al-Qaeda is indeed terrorist. Moreover, Crown Prince Abdullah called, through the official Saudi news agency, to "uproot terrorism and put an end to it and all who stand behind it." Now, it is the turn of the Saudis to adopt a drastic and firm policy to fight against al-Qaeda, or the ruling royal family will be no more. Will it be time for "the royal family to move over" and welcome an extreme Islamic regime?
Nevertheless, the counter-effect of Bin Laden's call to fight against the infidels, which according to him also includes Muslims helping the West, in the end, might bring Arabs closer to the U.S. in its efforts to fight against al-Qaeda and all kinds of terrorism. Here is where the statement that a "terrorist is a terrorist" can take on a strong vigor.
Despite the comments of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, made after talking with Crown Prince Abdullah, to the effect that Saudi Arabia might experience more attacks, there are two points to consider. First, it is doubtful that the Saudi royal family will give up its power to delegate it voluntarily to al-Qaeda. Hence, al-Qaeda might take a step back on their planned attacks against Saudi Arabia to avoid bringing the regime closer to the U.S. and indirectly increasing the military presence.
For instance, the Saudi ambassador to London, Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former intelligence chief in Riyadh, said in a BBC interview that it would be impossible to prevent such attacks from recurring. Hence, more attacks will force the Saudis to ask the U.S. for protection. That move will be a disastrous outcome to bear for Bin Laden, who has always opposed the American presence in Saudi Arabia.
Also, if other terrorist groups, such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah join forces with al-Qaeda to fight against the Saudi royal family, it will put the Saudis at the crossroads to finally declare that those groups are terrorists, and no longer freedom fighters. This would benefit the U.S. and validate its position that the entire world should unite to fight against terrorism.
Another point to highlight is that finally, the Arab press realizes that terrorism is ugly and monstrous. The question is why, when extreme Islamic terrorists hit an Arab country, it is considered a "crime, an aggression against religion and humanity," but when the same terrorists attack Israel and another Western country, they are not seen as terrorists, but as freedom fighters. It appears that what angers the Arabs is that the victims were mostly Arabs and that the terrorists, with bad timing on top of that, chose to attack in the holy month of Ramadan.
In a BBC compilation of the Arab press reactions, even al-Jazeera, which has been labeled a friendly outlet for terrorists by many, criticized the latest Saudi attack. "Terrorism presents its ugliness to all. It is not religious to resort to such ugly methods against the innocent."
Moreover, Ukaz, another Arab press outlet, declares, "What happened in the residential compound... can only be described as aggression against religion, ethics and humanity... Under which law or legislation are the innocent killed? Under what pretext are innocent children and women assassinated, as they sit in their homes and have not committed any crime?"
This is a crucial point at which Saudis can show their true colors; either they are a friend or an enemy, as perceived by many Americans. There is evidence linking the Saudis to financial support of Hamas, even compensating families of homicide bombers in Judea and Samaria. The fact is that, after the September 11 attacks, the U.S. pressured Saudi Arabia to act against al-Qaeda, now Saudis are learning the hard way, with the latest homicide bombings, that they must finally impose a strong policy against al-Qaeda. Let us not forget that 15 out of the 19 terrorists of September 11 were from Saudi Arabia, as is al-Qaeda's leader, Bin Laden.
Now is the time for the U.S. to pressure the Saudis to openly denounce Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups as terrorists, not praise them as freedom fighters. If the Saudis comply with this, even if it is just as a measure of survival against the crushing call of Bin Laden to terminate the Saudi royals, it will mean a big victory for President Bush, as other Arab countries might follow the Saudis' lead and change their attitudes. Nevertheless, to speak up against terrorism is a big challenge. As stated by al-Sharq al-Awsat - London-based, pan-Arab, Saudi-owned - referring to the terrorist attacks, there is "No time for silence." The question is, "Are Arabs now ready to speak up and condemn all terrorist groups killing innocent civilians?"
Surprise! Even the Arab press shows disgust against these terrorist attacks, which are perpetrated by the same terrorists who have been attacking Israel and the West. The only difference is that an "untouchable" Arab country has been attacked, while, until now, it was okay to attack Israel or the U.S. The challenge is whether Saudis will really strike with an "iron fist" against the Islamic terrorists, who killed at least 18 people in Riyadh and injured over 120 on November 8 in the al-Muhaya housing complex.
Has Bin Laden hijacked Islam? The surprise factor is not that al-Qaeda attacked Saudi Arabia, but how long Bin Laden took to indeed put his words in action. Why attack Saudi Arabia? Simply, because Saudis have been playing a double role.
First, saying they were against terror, while they funded and supported terrorism in the disputed lands of Gaza, Judea and Samaria. Furthermore, many analysts believe that the Saudis negotiated with al-Qaeda to prevent attacks on Saudi soil. Suspiciously, it was until almost two years after September 11 that al-Qaeda attacked the Saudi land, on May 12. The logical explanation is that Bin Laden is indeed now ready to overthrow the royal Saudi regime, which he considers illegitimate.
Second, Saudis say they have been supporting the U.S., while the majority rejoiced when the Twin Towers collapsed. Moreover, hatred against the U.S. is still promoted in schools and society. Yet, the Saudis continued to call themselves friends of U.S. and Bin Laden has openly criticized the Saudi government for being "too pro-American." In other words, Saudis have been playing a double game to remain in power. This is the key issue to understand why Saudi Arabia has become a target of al-Qaeda.
The fact is that Saudis have been sleeping with the enemy within. Suddenly, they are discovering more and more that al-Qaeda is indeed terrorist. Moreover, Crown Prince Abdullah called, through the official Saudi news agency, to "uproot terrorism and put an end to it and all who stand behind it." Now, it is the turn of the Saudis to adopt a drastic and firm policy to fight against al-Qaeda, or the ruling royal family will be no more. Will it be time for "the royal family to move over" and welcome an extreme Islamic regime?
Nevertheless, the counter-effect of Bin Laden's call to fight against the infidels, which according to him also includes Muslims helping the West, in the end, might bring Arabs closer to the U.S. in its efforts to fight against al-Qaeda and all kinds of terrorism. Here is where the statement that a "terrorist is a terrorist" can take on a strong vigor.
Despite the comments of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, made after talking with Crown Prince Abdullah, to the effect that Saudi Arabia might experience more attacks, there are two points to consider. First, it is doubtful that the Saudi royal family will give up its power to delegate it voluntarily to al-Qaeda. Hence, al-Qaeda might take a step back on their planned attacks against Saudi Arabia to avoid bringing the regime closer to the U.S. and indirectly increasing the military presence.
For instance, the Saudi ambassador to London, Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former intelligence chief in Riyadh, said in a BBC interview that it would be impossible to prevent such attacks from recurring. Hence, more attacks will force the Saudis to ask the U.S. for protection. That move will be a disastrous outcome to bear for Bin Laden, who has always opposed the American presence in Saudi Arabia.
Also, if other terrorist groups, such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah join forces with al-Qaeda to fight against the Saudi royal family, it will put the Saudis at the crossroads to finally declare that those groups are terrorists, and no longer freedom fighters. This would benefit the U.S. and validate its position that the entire world should unite to fight against terrorism.
Another point to highlight is that finally, the Arab press realizes that terrorism is ugly and monstrous. The question is why, when extreme Islamic terrorists hit an Arab country, it is considered a "crime, an aggression against religion and humanity," but when the same terrorists attack Israel and another Western country, they are not seen as terrorists, but as freedom fighters. It appears that what angers the Arabs is that the victims were mostly Arabs and that the terrorists, with bad timing on top of that, chose to attack in the holy month of Ramadan.
In a BBC compilation of the Arab press reactions, even al-Jazeera, which has been labeled a friendly outlet for terrorists by many, criticized the latest Saudi attack. "Terrorism presents its ugliness to all. It is not religious to resort to such ugly methods against the innocent."
Moreover, Ukaz, another Arab press outlet, declares, "What happened in the residential compound... can only be described as aggression against religion, ethics and humanity... Under which law or legislation are the innocent killed? Under what pretext are innocent children and women assassinated, as they sit in their homes and have not committed any crime?"
This is a crucial point at which Saudis can show their true colors; either they are a friend or an enemy, as perceived by many Americans. There is evidence linking the Saudis to financial support of Hamas, even compensating families of homicide bombers in Judea and Samaria. The fact is that, after the September 11 attacks, the U.S. pressured Saudi Arabia to act against al-Qaeda, now Saudis are learning the hard way, with the latest homicide bombings, that they must finally impose a strong policy against al-Qaeda. Let us not forget that 15 out of the 19 terrorists of September 11 were from Saudi Arabia, as is al-Qaeda's leader, Bin Laden.
Now is the time for the U.S. to pressure the Saudis to openly denounce Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups as terrorists, not praise them as freedom fighters. If the Saudis comply with this, even if it is just as a measure of survival against the crushing call of Bin Laden to terminate the Saudi royals, it will mean a big victory for President Bush, as other Arab countries might follow the Saudis' lead and change their attitudes. Nevertheless, to speak up against terrorism is a big challenge. As stated by al-Sharq al-Awsat - London-based, pan-Arab, Saudi-owned - referring to the terrorist attacks, there is "No time for silence." The question is, "Are Arabs now ready to speak up and condemn all terrorist groups killing innocent civilians?"